Fire Protection Engineer

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) is seeking a curious, committed, and enthusiastic Fire Protection Engineer to join our dynamic and diverse team of engineers and designers. This position can be located in either our Downtown Chicago office or at WJE company headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois .

Building on the industry experience you bring to WJE, our team will commit to your development into a well-rounded consultant; facilitating your continued deepening of technical expertise and project management skills, encouraging your participation in industry professional development opportunities, and supporting your desire to make a meaningful impact in your field.

If you are enthusiastic about solving problems, curious about how things work, and not afraid to get your hands dirty, we want you on our team!

Responsibilities:

• Assume responsibility for the day-to-day success of multiple projects, including acting as the primary point of contact for clients, contractors, and project teams; training and mentoring teammates; and managing small-to-medium projects, as appropriate.
• Perform on-site investigations, condition assessments, and inspections, which may include surveying, documenting deficiencies, field testing, collecting data and samples, and preparing site visit reports.
• Develop fire growth, smoke movement, and egress zone models.
• Analyze field data, interpret model results, and perform research and review of construction documents, governing codes, and design guidelines to facilitate analysis, problem-solving, and development of alternative designs for a variety of fire protection systems, building code issues, and life safety objectives.
• Prepare conceptual, preliminary, and final client deliverables, including written reports, calculation packets, construction documents, and project specifications.
• Contribute to company-wide objectives through involvement in office and company development initiatives, in-house Technical Resource Groups (TRGs) and research projects, and relevant industry committees and professional organizations (e.g., SFPE).

Qualifications/Competencies:

• Three or more years of relevant experience , which may include designing and evaluating various fire protection systems; conducting building code analysis and code consulting; developing equivalencies for alternative methods and materials; writing fire protection building code programs; and/or building and analyzing complex fire, smoke, and egress models.
• Bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering or related field; master's degree preferred.
• Licensed Professional Engineer (FPE) ; EIT in pursuit of PE will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Effective technical, graphical, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with drafting, analysis, and modeling software (e.g., AutoCAD, REVIT, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), PyroSim, Smokeview, Pathfinder, and CFAST).
• Proactive, team player mindset with willingness to take on various responsibilities, tackle new challenges, and learn new skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and adapt to changing demands, while maintaining productive interpersonal relationships and a high standard of excellence, integrity, and attention to detail.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to travel and attend meetings at various office, field, and construction sites.
• Ability to perform inspections of buildings and other structures, both visually and with instruments.
• Ability to safely work at heights, in confined spaces, and in a variety of occupationally hazardous locations, including outdoors with exposure to temperature extremes.
• Ability to safely use and/or operate ladders, scaffolds, lifts, and other access equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry materials, tools, and other heavy equipment up to 50 lbs.
• Medically fit to utilize respiratory protection devices and other forms of Personal Protective Equipment.
• Ability to drive and safely operate a motor vehicle.

Culture, Compensation, and Benefits:

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) is a global firm of engineers, architects, and materials scientists. Clients worldwide seek our expertise to solve the most significant, interesting, and challenging problems in the built world. Our applied experience from more than 175,000 projects combined with unparalleled laboratory and testing capabilities have made WJE a leader in providing innovative yet practical solutions to the clients we serve.

Working at WJE is a team endeavor characterized by a culture of trust and personal responsibility. We encourage open communication, continuous learning, innovative thinking, ongoing mentoring, and free-flowing collaboration. We seek highly talented and hard-working individuals who want to be challenged, who want hands-on work, who want to set a higher standard, and who want to be mentored by the industry’s most accomplished experts. People with outstanding C haracter, unwavering C ommitment to our core and culture, strong E xpertise, and genuine E nthusiasm for their work.

WJE offers a robust, total compensation structure, where base salary is just one component of an employee’s annual earnings. Additionally, employees receive variable compensation based on personal and company performance, often resulting in above-market annual earnings. Actual base salary will be based on several factors including consideration for a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role while remaining mindful of our commitment to internal equity. A good faith estimate of the annual starting base salary (gross) is in the following range: $89,040.00 - $133,560.00.

WJE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants to apply including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans (VEVRAA federal contractor).

WJE will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of Fair Chance Ordinances.

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.